Herb and Dorothy

A new documentary film by Megumi Sasaki has begun making the rounds at film festivals. Herb and Dorothy is the story of two unlikely art collectors that have changed the face of contemporary art. So far the film has played at the Hamptons International Film Festival and at SILVERDOCS: AFI/ Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. If it doesn’t make it to a town near you keep an eye out for the eventual DVD release.

The tag line for the film begins “He was a postal clerk. She was a librarian.” The Vogel’s have an unquenchable thirst for art. In the early 1960’s when little to no attention was being paid to Minimalist and Conceptual art, Herb and Dorothy began collecting.

Some people collect art as an investment. Some collect for prestige. Our favorite collectors do so because they love art. Herbert and Dorothy Vogel fit into this last category and by collecting what they love they will never be disappointed.

Over the years the collection grew to the point where every inch of their Manhattan apartment was filled. They could have sold a small part of the collection and moved to spacious living but chose instead to donate the bulk of their works to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

The generosity of this historic couple did not stop there. The following was taken directly from the website for the film.
“After the National Gallery of Art accepted 1,000 artworks and found out the collection has far more works to absorb, the Museum and the Vogels decided to launch a national gift program. The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: 50 Works for 50 States offers 50 artworks to a selected museum in each of the 50 states. By the end of 2009, Herb and Dorothy’s collection will find a permanent home and be shown to the people throughout the United States.”